Paper Palate

For a more unusual dining experience try one of the following recommendations from the Times. All bar one are in London but I think most serious foodies (or at least readers of many UK wine blogs) will be familiar with St John, The Fat Duck and Dans Le Noir.

Archipelago 110 Whitfield Street W1 “Attempting to offer a dining experience with a difference… Chic minimalism it ain’t; there’s a collection of knick-knacks trawled from across the globe to catch the eye and hold the attention and the menu is guaranteed to offer something new to even the most practiced diner, from crocodile, gnu and wildebeest to chocolate covered scorpions” [details]

Bar Shu 28 Frith Street W1 “one of the capital’s few Szechuan specialists” [details]

Champor Champor 62-64 Weston Street, SE1 “deliciously idiosyncratic restaurant continues to enthrall a devoted clientele” [website]

Dans Le Noir 30-31 Clerkenwell Green, EC1 “a restaurant where guests dine in the dark, the idea being that losing one’s sense of sight enhances one’s sense of taste” [website]

The Fat Duck, Bray [website]

Kaya 42 Albemarle Street, W1 “worth seeking out for an induction to authentic Korean cuisine” [details]

Kiwi Kitchen 94 Uxbridge Road, W13 [website]

Lalibela 137 Fortress Road, NW5 “an excellent place to sample Ethiopian food and hospitality” [details]

The Providores 109 Marylebone High Street, W1 “groundbreaking newcomer has grown into an established player on the London restaurant scene” [website]

St John 36 St John Street EC1 [website]